Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1887-12-28
a SPOOL OF THREAD.
The Unique Burglar Alarm Devised b
Pittsburgh Physician

The Unique Burglar Alarm Devised by "a
Pittsburgh Physician.
There's big safe in the closet of DR. L.
II. Wizards office, and DR. c. A. Wilson.
who has been associated with DR.. Willard
on the staff of the homeopathic Hospital.
has been looking after his practice and in
cldentally after his safe. One day recently.
says the Pittsburgh Dispdtch, DIR. Wilson
had occasion TO put S100, or some sum of
about that size, in the safe, and few hours
later CHANGED to discover that so of it had
disappeared. DR.. Wilson is a modest man,
and he was rather inclined to believe that
he had counted the money wrongly, until on
Friday once again the pile in the safe fell
away, this time to the tune of 500 Dr. Will
son thought the experimental stage had
gone far enough, and decided to proceed at
once to practical operation, with view to
preserving the sanctity of the safe. The
closet where this solid institution is har
bored is divided from the outer world by
door. DR.. Wilson got spool of thread, tied
the thread TO the door knob of the closet.
and carried the spool with him to a back
room up stairs. The closet door was closed
upon the safe
DR.. Wilson put the spool upon a chair and
sat down on the bed to await developments
He also took off his shoes and made sure
that his siX-shooter was in good working
order. 1t was still broad daylight: the
afternoon sun gilded that little spool of
thread as it lay minute after minute notion
less upon the chair. DR.. Wilson had not
heard sound in the rest of the emptv
house, and it was without warning of any
kind that the spool of thread jumped off the
chair. Somebody had opened the closet
door and the safe was being tampered
with
DR.. Wilson took another look at his re-
volver and then slipped quietly down the
stairs. DIR. Wizards Office has two doors
one opening on 20 the street, the other lead
ing into the house. The first is ALWAYS omen.
the latter on this occasion was stealthilv
opened by DR.. Wilson. He looked into the
room and saw at once that man was
calmly and in a leisurely manner dallvinp
with the sacred secrets of the safe The
door OF the safe was open and the thief
would have had it all his own wav if DIR
Wilson had not been in the rear with grin.
ming revolver in his hand. There was a
painful suddenness about the question with
which DR.. Wilson broke the awkward period
of suspense.
"Where did you learn the combination
DIR. Wilson cody asked. The investigator
of safes looked around, made feeble at
tempt to speak, and with very white face
concentrated his gaze on the revolver. He
didn't show fragment of desire to argue
the question with his fists or otherwise
so Dr. Wilson went over to the telephone
and asked Central to call for police officer.
While the officer was on the way Dr. vii.
son improved the occasion by examining his
prisoner He was not an ordinary thief,
but respectable man of thirty or so. who,
it appears, occupies what people call q posi-
ton in society in Allegheny County He had
been patient of DR.. Williard's, and how he
came TO discover the combination of the
safe can be guessed. He begged DR.. Will
son toilet him go, and offered to pay back all
the money he had taken if spared the pub
lcity of arrest. He talked well; any way
Dr. wilson has big heart, and the result
was that by the time the policeman reached
DR.. Wilson's office his services were NOT
needed.